Somewhere in the professor's office...
Inside the silent room filled with towering shelves of books. A man around the age of twenties remained all alone, rubbing his temples stressed, as his quill scratched tirelessly against parchment.
His signature pointed witch hat slumped slightly, as though just as exhausted as he was.
Papers were stacked haphazardly around him; exam sheets, spell research notes, and lecture drafts were all demanding his attention.
"Just a little more," he muttered to himself, adjusting his glasses.
His eyes were heavy, burning from hours of reading and writing, yet remained pushing forward.
The clock in the corner of the library chimed softly... one ring... Two rings. Then silence.
1 am.
Professor Sean groaned and stretched, his stiff joints cracking loudly as he leaned back in his chair. "Why do I always end up like this?"
Most of the other professors had long since retired to their quarters, leaving only the occasional flickering lamp in the distant corridors to accompany him.
If only he wasn't a pushover fool and actually declined that numerous help, he could have slept early today.
Alas...
The candle light only here to mock his kindness despite knowing all of those excuse they gave was just a lie.
Still, he dipped his quill once more, pressing forward.
The last document—a final review of his revised curriculum lay before him. His fingers twitched slightly as he carefully signed his name at the bottom.
A pause. Then, a slow exhale.
"FINALLY I'M DONE!" He screamed out loud.
He leaned back, eyes fluttering shut for a brief moment, savoring the quiet victory.
It was definitely exhausting, but there was a certain satisfaction in completing his work before dawn.
A small gust of wind from the open window rustled the papers around him, and he lazily reached out to keep them from scattering.
His hat nearly tipped off his head as he did so, but he merely chuckled.
"Finally… time to leave this place."
Just as Professor Sean Favian was about to stand, the door suddenly swung open with a loud snap.
Standing in the doorway was another professor, still in his pajamas, looking visibly irritated.
"Professor Sean Favian!!"
Sean let out a dry, exhausted laugh.
"Haha… hello, Professor. W-what may I help you with?"
It was obvious he was in no condition to keep working.
The pajama-clad professor squinted at him.
"Oh my god, are you okay?"
"I'm fine…" Sean rasped like a man twice his age, breaking into a coughing fit.
"If you say so…"
'No, I am not fine. Can you please take the hint?' Sean thought, barely holding back his frustration.
The professor yawned, scratching his head.
"Well, your Class F students got into a fight. Your presence is needed—ASAP." Then, without waiting for a response, he waved lazily. "Now, I'm going back to sleep. Good luck, Professor."
And just like that, he left.
Sean stood frozen, pale as a ghost, feeling the strength drain from his legs.
"I just… wanted to sleep…"
*****
Tic... Toc... Tic... Toc...
The rhythmic ticking of the clock filled the room as Professor Sean sat at his desk, pouring tea for the two students seated across from him.
"Have you both calmed down?" he asked, his voice even but firm.
One of the students, a young man with dark blue hair tied in a ponytail, sat directly in front of him. He was infamous... (not in a good way)—for catching the headmaster's attention on the very first day.
Though, thanks to his past punishments, Sean had never gotten the chance to properly speak with him before.
(He doesn't want to.)
[ Elijah Noe Shahrazad || Class F ]
Despite his reputation, the boy didn't look like a troublemaker.
Well… if one ignored the fresh bruises and cuts scattered across his face.
Yet, despite all that, Elijah simply grinned as if nothing had happened.
"Hehehe, thank you, Professor~ You're so kind!"
Sean frowned, an odd feeling creeping up his spine.
Why did it feel like this kid was acting coy? As if he was trying to win his trust.
Maybe he was overthinking it.
Shaking off the thought, Professor Sean withdrew his gaze and shifted his attention to the other student.
The tall one with green hair.
Unlike Elijah, this student wasn't notorious. In fact, Sean hadn't expected him to be the troublemaking type at all.
He was a recent transfer from another academy, and according to records, he had aced the entrance exam with a perfect score.
If he had even the slightest hint of Mahika, just a fraction, he would've been placed in Class C based on intelligence alone.
[ Varden Albinus || Class F ]
And just like Elijah, his face was covered in bruises.
Sean sighed. It was clear these two didn't get along.
Varden, however, remained composed. With a polite nod, he greeted, "Hello, Professor."
Sean exhaled, rubbing his temple before finally asking,
"…What happened?"
"Well..."
Sean immediately regretted asking.
The moment the words left his mouth, both Elijah and Varden turned to each other, narrowed their eyes, and then—
"HE WANTS TO OWN MY ROOM!!"
Their voices boomed in unison, causing Sean's already fragile soul to visibly flinch.
And then, like a chaotic duet, they both started arguing at the same time.
"I got the room first, so obviously it's mine! I picked the best spot for a reason!!"
"The professor assigned the room to ME!!"
Sean rubbed his temples as their overlapping voices created a verbal warzone.
—"He walked in, AS IF LIKE A KING, suddenly ACCUSING ME AS A THIEF like he owned the place!"
—"Well, EXCUSE ME don't you see I had the room KEY!"
—"You can't even open it with the key, are you sure it fits my door?!"
—"THE DOOR LOCK WAS OLD SO THE KEY DIDN'T WORK IMMEDIATELY!"
Sean sighed and went to check the records, praying that maybe—just maybe—this was a simple clerical error.
…It wasn't.
Sean's face paled as his finger traced the document.
Dorm F: Room 201
Occupants: Elijah Noe Shahrazad & Varden Albinus
His eye twitched.
They were supposed to share the same room.
Sean slowly looked up, dreading the moment he had to break the news.
"…You two are, in fact, assigned to the same room." he spoke carefully. "And you will continue to share it until the Academy issues another—"
"WHAT?!"
The two jumped from their seats, pointing at each other again like two children fighting over the last piece of cake.
"I refuse!"
"I object!"
Sean massaged his forehead harder, now regretting every life choice that led him to this moment.
"Professor, this is unacceptable!" Elijah whined, dramatically clutching his chest. "You can't possibly expect me to share a room with someone who looks like he crawled out of a medieval gladiator ring!"
Varden huffed. "I'm sorry, would you prefer someone less capable of breaking your nose the next time you act like a little shit?"
Elijah replied "HOHOHO you punk, why don't you take a look in the mirror, and glance to that black eye in your right side?"
Sean, who had been quietly contemplating launching himself out of the nearest window, finally had enough.
But instead being able to scream 'STOP' or something.
He just collapsed.
Right there on the spot.
'Oh yes, finally, he could sleep.'